


Broken Memories

by Superbluestar428



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Amnesia, F/M, Forgotten Past, Gen, Ghosts, M/M, slight hints of Hak/Yona, slight hints of Jae-ha/Kija, slight hints of Yoon/Zeno
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-04-17 13:19:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4668047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superbluestar428/pseuds/Superbluestar428
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The memories had become jagged fragments—broken shards for him to cut his fingers on as he struggles to put the pieces back together once more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Flying Watermelons and Apparitions

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a post by glass-katana on Tumblr that mentioned Yoon and Min-Soo's similar features as well as the possibility of them being siblings. I showed that picture to my friend and discussed this theory with her, and, thus, this story was born.

Yoon was very fond of asking questions.

_What was your village like? What kind of herb is that?_ _How do your powers work?_ _Can this plant actually be planted in this dried dirt?_

He couldn't help it- he's just _naturally_ curious. He's only ever stepped foot in one village that was near his home in the Fire Tribe. Ik-Soo had kept him well-entertained, telling him stories of his many journeys around the kingdom. But it doesn't beat actually getting to experience it in person. And so, being handsome but cautious, he would ask questions to quench his thirst for more knowledge.

This time wasn't any different. He had mustered up the courage to call out to the red-haired princess. "Hey, Yona?"

Yona, who was currently helping him cook lunch, looked up and tilted her head. "Yes, Yoon?" Yoon pursed his lips in thought, trying to come up with a response that won't sound as rude as it sounds in his mind. "... Do you have any friends?"

The red-haired princess giggled. "Of course, I have friends. I have Kija, Shin-Ah, Jae-ha, Zeno, Hak, Ao. I also have _you_." She taps her chin to think of more people. "Really, _all_ the allies we've met during our journey have become precious friends to me."

Yoon blushed, slightly embarrassed and a little happy to have been acknowledged as a friend of Yona's (not that he _doubted_ his friendship, it's just nice to hear aloud every now and then). But he shook his head slowly to denounce her misunderstanding. "No, I meant _before_. When you still lived at the castle?" Yona's eyes darkened, taking on a faraway look. She stares at the campfire, watching the embers burn away at the wood.

"I only ever had Hak and the servants to keep me company. As you know, I was never allowed out of the castle," her voice softens as if remembering her all the happy times there. Seeing the melancholy state she was in, Yoon was regretting asking such a question that incited bad memories for Yona. But Yona offers him a reassuring smile. "Everyone was nice. Kept me company, played with me when they could. Though it was mostly Min-Soo who had been around the most."

That name rang in his head, echoing over and over with familiarity. Where had he heard it before? He searched his mind for an answer, but none came to mind. He repeated it aloud, " _Min-Soo?_ " Yona's nostalgic smile melted with bittersweetness.

"He was my father's personal servant. He would follow my father wherever he went without complaint." Her smile softens as she remembers the kind servant. Her shoulders drooped, crestfallen. "But now that I think about it, I actually knew little about him too..."

Yoon nods and continues to cut the deer they had managed to catch for lunch. As he puts the cut-up deer meat in the pot, he wonders aloud, "Where is he now? Why didn't he escape the castle with you two?" He glances over at Yona's face and immediately wishes he could take back his words when he sees Yona's eyes glitter with unshed tears. The answer was as clear as day on her face.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she answers him calmly. "Last time I saw him, he had pretended to be a decoy so Hak and I could escape." She tucks a strand of her unruly red hair behind her ear out of habit.

Yoon slumps in his seat, letting the tragic information sink in. "Maybe Soo-Won has him held captive?" He says, trying to sound hopeful, but even Yoon knew the chances of that happening was low. The King had even tried to _kill_ Yona, what makes him think that he would spare the previous King Il's personal servant?

Yona closes her eyes and takes a deep breath to contain her tears. "I can't explain it, but I had this feeling, when Hak and I escaped, that Min-Soo was unable to make it out of the castle. It was almost as if I could hear him use his final breath to call out to me." Her hands tighten their grips on her skirt fabric.

If this Min-Soo guy had not caught up with them by now, that could only mean _one_ thing... Yoon can feel his own tears welling up in his eyes. "I-I'm sorry.."

Yona vigorously shakes her head, wiping away the unshed tears. "It's okay, I'm glad I was able to talk to you about it. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to talk about this with anyone. I'm happy that I was able to share his memory with you." She stares up at the clear, blue sky with a bright smile. "He's probably watching over me and Hak in heaven with my father." Her smile widens at the thought.

Yoon opens his mouth to change the subject when a large, heavy object hits him in the back of his head.

And suddenly, everything fades to black.

* * *

_"You'll be staying here for awhile, Yoon."_

_Yoon didn't like it here. It smelled like manure and rotting meat. The old man, with his scruffy beard and menacing black eyes, looked mean- like he didn't care what would happen to Yoon as long as he got paid money to watch him. He felt intimidated by the towering man. Yoon latched onto the gentle boy beside him. His grip on his leg held on tighter._

_Yoon didn't want to let go. Because if he let go, he would never get to see this person ever again._

_He didn't want that. He wanted more time- to stay with him a little longer. He didn't want to stay with these strangers. He was the only family he had left._

_He could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks as he tried desperately to keep the gentle person from leaving him all alone. "No, no don't leave me." The older boy removed Yoon from his leg and knelt down to his eye-level to give him a soft, sad smile._

_'No, don't look at me like that. Stay here...' Yoon thought to himself. The other boy looked as if he were about to burst into tears as well. For some reason, his face was blurred out. 'Probably from the tears in my eyes...' Yoon thought as he tried his best to wipe away the tears to see the person. The tears, however, refused to stop._

_"It'll only be for a little while. I promise, when I save enough money, I'll come back for you." His voice shook, the hand on his shoulder had loosened its grip. His hand fell away, and Yoon felt himself be pulled away from his precious person. He tried to fight back the force pulling him away but to no avail._

_And then he dropped. Falling and falling and falling into an abyss of darkness. He reached out to the person who he could no longer recall. He couldn't even call out to him because he had already forgotten his name. The dream was already slipping out of his grasp...  
_

_"Be a good boy, Yoon. Big Brother will come running back to you in no time..."  
_

* * *

When his consciousness awoke, it was _noisy_ \- he could tell that much. His eyes were too heavy to open, but he was no longer passed out. Everyone was in a panic, speaking in frantic tones. All their nervousness was making his head throb even _more_...

Yona sounded upset. "I can't believe it! I can't believe you _killed_ Yoon, Zeno!"

Zeno's cheerfulness didn't waver one bit. "Don't worry, Miss! Zeno knows mouth-to-mouth!"

Jae-ha acts as the voice of reason. "Yona-chan, he's not dead. And there's no need for CPR, Zeno-kun. He's obviously breathing. Look, his chest is moving."

Kija is stressed and worried. "This is all your fault, Zeno! If you had just held the watermelon _properly_ instead of _throwing_ it around-"

The Thunder Beast jokes about the situation. "Mommy is going to be _really_ angry when he wakes up."

Shin-Ah's voice is soft and barely heard over the others. "Ao, no... Yoon doesn't need any nuts right now..."

He can feel the squirrel on his chest, trying to shove an acorn in his mouth.

A gentle laugh tickles his ear. It was so _close_ \- someone was sitting beside him. "Now, now, little one. He needs his rest..." An unfamiliar yet familiar voice says beside him. _‘Who is that?’_ Yoon questioned, starting to stir himself awake. The weight was lifted off his chest as Ao scampered off of him.

At last, he used whatever remaining strength he had to force his eyes to open.

Only to be met with the face of a stranger.

"Oh, he's awake!" The stranger said, crouching beside him. He had light, auburn hair and sea green eyes that sparkled in the sunlight. Seeing him made Yoon feel a bit _nostalgic_ , but, of course, that was _impossible_. This was the first time they've met.

Who _was_ this guy?

" _Yoon, you're awake! Thank god!_ " Yoon turns away from the stranger and sees Yona rushing towards him. He glances back to his side again, but the stranger was gone.

Yoon blinks. ' _What the- where did he-?'_

A chuckle resounded from his other side. "It's nice that the Princess can still be energetic."

" _Ah!_ " Yoon shrieks, making Yona jump in surprise. He sits up and points at the stranger beside him. " _Y-y-you-! But you were just- how did you-?!_ " The words wouldn't make complete sentences when they escaped his lips.

The stranger blinks in bewilderment, leaning closer to the boy. "Wait, you can _see_ me?"

"Yoon, what's the matter?" Yona asks, worrying about Yoon's frantic babbling.

" _Who is this guy?!_ " He points a shaky finger towards the guy who's eyes are wide with surprise. The group's eyes follow to where his finger is pointing at. "Don't tell me he's _another_ strange person you exotic beasts picked up!"

"Strange person?" Jae-ha repeated in confusion.

"Did someone follow us without our knowledge?" Kija wondered aloud. He turned to Shin-Ah for an answer, but he only shook his head.

Zeno tilted his head, tapping a finger to his cheek. "Did lad get hit too hard?"

"You _can_ see me!" The man stands up, clasping his hands together in delight. "This is wonderful! I haven't spoken to anyone in so long!"

"Of course I can _see_ you! I'm handsome not _blind!_ " Yoon yelled, getting slightly irritated. Why was no one answering his questions?

"Yoon, is everything okay?" Yona puts a hand on Yoon's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

Yoon shrugs off her hand and gestures a thumb over at the stranger. "I'm fine, but _who is he?_ " He emphasized again, making him feel like annoying, repetitive parrot.

Yona furrows her eyebrows together and gives him a questioning look. "The watermelon probably hit you harder than you thought. You're _hallucinating!_ " She exclaimed, panicking.

"Maybe he has a concussion...?" Hak suggests, getting up to check the boy's head.

"I'm not _hallucinating_! He's _right there!_ Do you not see he's standing _right in front of you?!_ " Yoon continues to wave his hand over at the stranger.

The stranger had taken to making himself comfortable beside the boy with a bitter smile. He shakes his head. "They are unable to see me..." Yoon blanches at the man's words and looks over to Yona to offer some guidance, hoping that she sees the man too, and he wasn't crazy. But the words that escapes her lips are the ones he was dreading to hear.

"Yoon, there's nobody there..."


	2. Shattering Hope and Disbelief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mother's promise, Yoon's disbelief, and Zeno's suspicious character.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than expected... How long has it been? Three months? Four? I'm not even sure... But here it is, so I hope you enjoy!

* * *

_Eleven Years Earlier..._

* * *

" _Hey, look..._ "

"Are those the _harlot_ 's children?"

"For a _filthy_ courtesan to raise such beautiful children, they must be trained to do _unspeakable_ things..."

"Mustn't get too near to them, who knows how many _diseases_ they might have contracted from such a woman..." Min-Soo resisted the urge to shout to the villagers to shut their gossiping traps and continued to guide his little brother back to their hut. He knew their situation wouldn't change even if he _did_ yell at them.

Besides, they didn't know anything about them. They don't realize that his mother works long hours just to provide food for her family. They don't realize that she works to the brink of exhaustion but still makes it a priority to spend time with her children. They don't realize how sick she is getting, even though she herself doesn't want him or his brother to notice either. They don't realize how much she had to sacrifice in order to raise two boys with as much love as two parents could give them. He shouldn't care what those _strangers_ think.

_And yet..._

"Big brother, wha's a _harl-lit?_ " He looked down at the little boy, his large blue eyes glittered with curiosity.

Letting out a sigh, Min-Soo tried to come up with some convincing lie. How else can you explain to your _three_ year old brother that their mother sells her body for money?

After much thought, he told him, "A harlot is... Someone who gets money by playing games with _rich_ men." _That sounds safe enough I guess..._

The little boy's eyes lit up with eagerness. "I wanna be a _harl-lit_! I like games! I good at them!" Yoon exclaimed in excitement, making Min-Soo pale at the thought.

He shakes his head vigorously. "No, not _games_... More like... _Chores_." Yoon's nose scrunches up in disgust.

"Chores not fun..." Yoon states, adjusting the bag of herbs in his hands to a more comfortable position. Min-Soo couldn't help but smile as he ruffled the boy's strawberry blond hair.

They stop in front of their hut and walk inside, putting down their bags of herbs. "Mama, we're back!" Min-Soo shouts but was only met with silence. He furrows his eyebrows. Did she go out? She had specifically told him that today she would be staying home. Maybe she got a request from her job?

He walks over to her room and peaks inside. A gasp escapes his lips. "Mama!"

He rushes over to her collapsed body on the floor, a bloody rag in her hands. Her hands were clammy with sweat, and Min-Soo could feel her forehead burning up. His mother groans in pain as she hacks out another series of bloody coughs.

He turns to see Yoon staring at them from the doorway, frozen in fear. "Yoon, get the doctor quick!" As if those were the magic words, the boy snapped out of his reverie and ran out the door. "Stay with me, Mama. You'll be okay..." He puts her head on his lap and strokes her hair. He can already feel the tears prickling in his eyes, but he forced himself not to cry. He had to be the strong one now- for both his mother and Yoon.

The next two hours were like a blur of colors, and the world had grown silent. He felt numb; his senses had become dull. The doctor had taken his mother back to the clinic and has yet to return with any news. He would have stayed at the clinic if it weren't for Yoon, who was hungry and tired from all the panic. He glances at the younger boy who had cried himself asleep in bed. Min-Soo carefully strokes Yoon's hair, laying beside him in their bed.

How could this have happened? Their mother was completely healthy yesterday! She was her ran around and played with the two for her entire day off. She was smiling so happily without any hints of pain... Min-Soo's eyes widened.

Could it be that she had _known_ she didn't have much time left?

_"Min-Soo…” He snapped his attention away from his game of hide-and-seek with his little brother to look at his calm, soothing mother. “Promise me…” He cocked his head to the side, wondering where this conversation was going... “Promise me, that you will protect your brother. You will love him, care for him, and never abandon him.”_

_"What's wrong, Mama? Are you going on a trip again?" Min-Soo asks, remembering the last 'trip' she had to go on for her work._ _It lasted for only a week, but he distinctly remembered how lonely he felt and the many restless nights he spent with Yoon comforting him to sleep._

_“I- I just want you to make a special promise with me,” she inhales a shaky breath and bends down to take his tiny hands in her pale, delicate ones. “If anything were to happen to me, I want to believe in a hopeful future for my beautiful babies in this cruel, corrupted world.” She looks at him with glittering eyes. "Can you do that for Mama?"_

_He looks down at her hands and brings them up to his lips for a tiny kiss. "I promise, Mama." The smile she gave him made it seem like the world was going to crumble beneath them at any second. She pushed away his bangs and gave him a chaste kiss on his forehead before getting up from her crouched position. "Now, let's find our little, pretty boy." Min-Soo watched as she began searching for the little boy. She finally found him hiding behind a tree, pretending not to notice him until he least expected it. She scooped Yoon up into her arms, twirling the giggle boy around in circles._

_He wanted to memorize every inch of her smiling face so that it would be imprinted in his memory forever._

How naive he was, she had _deceived_ him. Min-Soo covers his eyes with his hands and wills himself not to cry. " _Long, long ago_ , _bright red sun was eaten..._ " He mumbles to himself, taking in a shaky breath to stop the tears from falling. " _And the world was dyed black..."_

Another voice quietly sings along. " _Let's call the four dragons, bow our heads..."_ He looks down and sees Yoon rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Min-Soo couldn't fight the smile blooming on his face at his little brother's cuteness.

It was almost surreal how adorable he was. Min-Soo remembers the boy coming home one day, bawling his eyes out because he was teased for being mistaken as a girl. _"They're just jealous because they're ugly and boorish,"_ he remembered telling the little boy that day, _"I would much rather be pretty and smart than someone who bullies others to make themselves feel more superior."_ Aside from having to explain what the word 'superior' meant, from that day on, Yoon grew accustomed to calling himself a _pretty boy_ shamelessly in front of others, building up self-confidence Min-Soo had never seen before in such a young kid.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Min-Soo asks, giving him an apologetic look.

Yoon shook his head. "I was havin' a bad dream..."

Min-Soo froze. "What about?"

"Mama was gonna leave us behind." Tears welled up in the younger boy's eyes, making Min-Soo's heart ache. "She's not gonna, though. Right, Big brother?"

This was out of his hands, something he could not fix. He would have to tell his younger brother the painful truth. Their mother was dying, and soon they would be alone to fend for themselves. He shifted his gaze away from the innocent eyes of his brother. "Mama... She doesn't want to leave us. She loves us..." He fought back the tears threatening to fall. He took in a shaky breath before continuing, "But she's sick. _Really sick_. She's gonna go up to the castle in the clouds where Papa and the Red Dragon are to ask for some medicine."

"She'll come back to visit, right?" Yoon looked up at him through blurred tears, and it killed Min-Soo to have to be the one to explain death to him. He opened his mouth to respond when their door crept open. Min-Soo shot off the bed to meet the doctor.

"H-how is she?" He hoped he was wrong. He hoped it was only a minor cold. He hoped that she was still...

The doctor's grave expression scared him. "I'm sorry..."

His hope shattered.

* * *

_Present_

* * *

Yoon woke up once again- this time, it was dark. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before sitting up. He was in their tent; Yona snored softly beside him, unperturbed of his subtle movement. He looked around but did not catch sight of the ghos- ahem, _hallucination_ he had seen earlier.

' _A dream?_ ' Maybe his head did get hit harder than he thought. Too awake to go back to sleep, he remove the blankets and tiptoed over to the tent's opening. For some reason, the tent had become a little too suffocating; he needed some fresh air. The moon was full and gave him enough light to see into the darkness. Yoon could hear the snores of the others in their respective tents and walked over to the logs in front of the dissipated fireplace. He sat down and inhaled a deep breath of the cold, night air.

Yoon looks up and scowls at the bright moon before him as questions flood his thoughts. ' _How long was I passed out for? It's darker than I remember, which means I slept until nightfall. Lunch- crap, I didn't finish lunch nor did I make any dinner. What did those mystical beasts do for lunch and dinner if I was unconscious for nearly the entire day?'_ His eyes narrow in thought. _'Where did that strange man go? Was he real? Or was he really just an illusion formed by the possibility of head trauma?'_

"Pardon me for interrupting your deep thoughts, but I do not think it's best for you to be up." Yoon jumped away from the voice in surprise, swiveling his attention to the young man that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

" _You-!_ "

" _Shhh!_ " The apparition brought a finger to his lips to silence the boy. "You'll wake up the princess and General Hak!"

The _princess_ and _General_ Hak? How does this guy know about Yona and the Thunder Beast?! Is he a spy sent by the king? Maybe an assassin? Or- _no_ , wait. This guy is just a figment of his own imagination. Of course, the hallucination would know about those two because it's _his_ mind. Yoon covers his eyes and tries to calm his panicked heart. "You're not real. You're just a delusion my mind conjured up due to the head injury. I'm going to close my eyes and be more aware that you're just a hallucination. Maybe then my brain will make you disappear." He closes his eyes and counts down from five.

 _5...4...3...2...1..._ One blue eye peeks from the gaps between his fingers.

The young man was no longer beside him; Yoon breathes out a sigh of relief, feeling his heart rate recede to normal...

"I'm sorry, but I'm not a hallucination." A voice from behind startles him once again, and Yoon almost shouted aloud but managed to only let out a small yelp. He covers his mouth with both hands and spins around to face the green-eyed stranger. The young man offered the dumbfounded boy a tiny smile. "I believe the correct term would be _ghost_ or, if you would like, _benevolent spirit_."

Yoon can feel himself beginning to hyperventilate. ' _Stay calm, stay calm. How can you believe such a thing? It's highly impossible for such a thing to occur in reality. You're mind is just playing tricks on you.'_ He squeezes his eyes shut and grips his hair as the anxiety begins to sink in. _'Just acknowledge the hallucination theory already, damn brain! He'll go away! Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go aw-_ '

"Hey, are you oka-" Something brushes his shoulder, and he can feel himself grow still. His eyes shoots open and glances at the pale hand on his shoulder before connecting it to the person in front of him. He immediately flinches away in fear, tripping over himself in the process. ' _...Real. That was_ real _. I felt that on my shoulder. That was real. Oh my god, I felt his hand. His hand was real. Real. Real. Real-_ '

The young man drops his hand back to his side. "Forgive me for startling you, I had merely thought you were having a panic attack." Yoon inwardly cringes at the young man's politeness. It was freaking him out, and it also made him feel guilty for rejecting the man's help.

' _You can't feel guilty for your own subconscious illusion! But..._ ' You can't _feel_ illusions either. Yet Yoon could have sworn that was a physical hand on his shoulder. He groaned as he felt the oncoming headache build up. None of this was making _any_ sense. He needed to get away before he burst into a fit of insanity and woke everyone up to witness him slowly lose his mind.

Yoon jumps out of his seat and walks away from the campsite, silently gesturing for the _benevolent spirit_ to follow him. When he was finally out of earshot, he spun around so quickly that the young man nearly toppled over him. If that were even _possible_. "Look, _if-_ and I'm not saying I believe you because it's _impossible,_ I'm only saying _if_ you are a ghost or spirit or whatever, why are you haunting _me_?"

The young man shrugs. "I am unsure of that myself. I have been accompanying the princess and General Hak since they have left the castle, and no one has acknowledged my presence since that night. I came to the conclusion that I had..." The young man trails off, his eyes dampening with a twinge of sadness. "... Anyways, until today, you have been unable to see me."

Yoon pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to figure out what kind of dilemma he stumbled into. He guesses it's time to stop searching for logic and start accepting the fact that this man was an entirely, separate entity... "Who the hell are you anyways?" Yoon asks, slumping against a tree in exhaustion.

"Oh, excuse my impertinence. I was too caught up in my excitement to even introduce myself," the stranger straightens up and bows formally. "My name is Min-Soo, it is nice to make your acquaintance, pretty boy genius." The stranger, Min-Soo, says with another friendly smile and a teasing wink.

Yoon perks up at the sound of the young man's name, trying to piece together where he heard that name before... He snaps his fingers, recalling his and Yona's previous conversation before getting hit by the watermelon. Yoon's eyes widen as he stares up at Min-Soo in complete bafflement. "You're King Il's trusted advisor. The one who helped Yona and Hak escape..." ' _Which means...'_ Yoon pales as the realization dawns him. ' _Could it actually be possible?_ '

An emotion flashes in Min-Soo's eyes but was gone before Yoon could even distinguish what it was. "... _Was_." Min-Soo whispered in despair.

"Excuse me?"

"I _was_ King Il's trusted advisor..." Sorrow etched onto Min-Soo's gentle features, which seemed to age him as if he were drained of all his energy at that moment. "I am no longer a part of the living."

Yoon looked away, unable to find any words to comfort the auburn-haired servant. A heavy silence falls upon the two as they become consumed into their own thoughts. That is until...

"Lad!" Yoon jumps in fright as the yellow-haired dragon pounces on him. "What are you doing here all by yourself? Did the lad forget he was injured? Zeno was worried!" Zeno's embrace around him tightens but not tight enough to hurt. The yellow-haired dragon gives no indication to Yoon as to whether or not he heard the conversation between him and his invisible companion.

"Ah, sorry. I just wanted to go for a little walk. I've been laying down for too long, my bones were getting stiff..." Yoon lies, glancing over at Min-Soo, who gives him a reassuring smile.

"Next time, it's okay to wake Zeno up. Zeno would have been glad to accompany the lad!" Zeno whines as Yoon's cheeks begin to flare up into a deep red.

Yoon gives Zeno a bashful look before turning away to hide his reddening cheeks. "Next time then..." Yoon answers sheepishly, trying to avoid making eye contact with the yellow-haired dragon. As he says this, Zeno begins to cuddle against him, resting his chin onto his shoulder. His arms fall to Yoon's lithe waist, and he lets out a hum in contentment. Yoon, already used to the boy's clingy nature, doesn't push Zeno off him, too exhausted to even attempt to try. Besides, his arms wasn't _that_ uncomfortable... Yoon could feel himself relax again Zeno's embrace.

Zeno's smile widens, his eyes twinkling with joy. "Next time then..." Zeno repeats in a gentle voice, pulling Yoon close enough that Yoon could feel the dragon's warmth on his back. Yoon could feel his cheeks burn even more...

"Ahem..." Yoon's eyes flicker over to Min-Soo, who gives him a teasing smirk. "Yoon-san, you're so adorable!" Feeling caught, Yoon hastily pulls away from the dragon's comfortable grasp.

' _Shut it, you invisible stalker..._ ' Yoon grumbles under his breath. "The others should be waking up. I should start on breakfast."

He hears someone click their tongue and peers down at Zeno, who has a dark look on his face, but it vanishes just as soon as it appeared once Zeno noticed Yoon's attention on him. The yellow-haired dragon jumps to his feet and reverts back to his cheerful and childish self in an instant. "Zeno wants meat for breakfast!"

"We didn't have time to go hunting yesterday, so no meat for today..." Zeno pouts, giving Yoon the look of a kicked puppy. Yoon sighs in defeat. "...Let's see if the Thunder Beast is awake then maybe we can get some meat." Yoon passes Zeno to walk back to the campsite.

"You shouldn't get caught up with ghosts of the past," his piercing blue eyes darken, "you might remember things that are meant to just stay in the past."

Yoon pauses with wide eyes. He's heard Zeno use that voice only once- when the yellow-dragon seriously interrogated Yona about her plans for the future. He spins around to face Zeno. "What are you-"

"Ah, the Miss is awake! Maybe she can get us meat for breakfast!" Zeno exclaims, the serious expression fading away instantly, making Yoon question as to whether he heard the yellow-haired dragon correctly. Before Yoon can question him, Zeno skips ahead to tackle Shin-Ah who had just woken up and was stretching.

"That boy..." Min-Soo begins, eyeing Zeno from his spot beside Yoon. "I get the feeling he knows more than he lets on."

"That's just how Zeno is," _Is it?_ Or is what Min-Soo saying is true? Could there be more to that yellow-haired dragon than meets the eye? "Maybe we're thinking about this too deeply. Zeno just likes to have random bursts of serious moments. It's hard to believe what's true or not with him like that." Yoon waves off as he continues back to the camp.

' _But still..._ ' Min-Soo continues to eye the energetic Zeno suspiciously. Zeno turns his head toward Min-Soo's direction and their eyes make contact for a split second. Min-Soo is frozen in his place, the look Zeno gives him sends a chill up his spine before Zeno turns his attention away from him and toward Yoon to cling onto one of his arms.

That couldn't have been coincidence... Could it?


End file.
